Fae War Page 16

  Aunt Cindra lit a ball of fire in her hand. “Of course, I do. With our strength combined we can beat it into submission. You two will use your mind control and I will use my fire.”

  Mom shook her head. “Its mind is strong. We should have brought Belle. Not the queen.”

  Aunt Cindra scowled. “It wasn’t my idea to bring her. Lot of help she’s been. But I don’t trust Belle either. I for one, am glad she’s asleep with the others.”

  My eyes scanned the pine forest as the distant sound of birds and scurrying critters echoed off the trees. It was so different from Feylin. Different in a way I couldn’t explain. There was still magic in the air, I could feel it, but it was dulled, spread thin, and hidden in pockets. Not like Feylin where the power was nearly suffocating.

  “What happens if it sees us coming and takes off?” I broke the silence.

  No one answered. My gut clenched. That was reassuring. More and more, I was beginning to feel this whole mission was doomed from the start. The faces of those frozen back in Feylin flashed in my mind, making my heart twist. We would find a way back and we would have the creature when we did. I refused to return empty handed.

  “We won’t let it see us coming,” Aunt Cindra finally answered.

  I scoffed at her. “Yeah, how is that going to work?”

  Her chin lifted. “If your mind is connected to it, can’t you make it believe whatever you want it to?”

  Mom shot her a dark look. “That is dangerous power, Cindra.”

  Aunt Cindra huffed. “You might not be strong enough to do it, but I think Renée is.”

  My stomach churned. Was I? I could barely wrap my mind around it, but if I could do it… it would give us our best chance.

  Mom grabbed my wrist. Her eyes drilled into me. “It’s too dangerous. You haven’t been trained properly… creating a mental image or idea in someone else’s mind requires a lot of magic.”

  I pulled my arm from her grasp. “But you’ve done it before?”

  She hesitated. “Yes, but only a simple thought or idea and only on lesser fae. It’s similar to giving a mental command.”

  My eyes narrowed. “If you can do it, I can. And at least I’ll be doing it on the Raj’ani and not an innocent fae.”

  She bristled at my accusation; her lips drawn together. “I know you can do it, Renée. That is not the problem. The Raj’ani is much, much more powerful. Your mind has already been through a lot. It would be unwise to stretch it further.”

  I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Then what do we do? I’m not seeing a lot of options here.”

  Aunt Cindra clucked her tongue in a way that reminded me of Aunt Maloret. “It is our best chance, Aubri.”

  Mom whipped toward her. “Enough, Cindra. I will decide what is best for my daughter. You wouldn’t understand what it means to love someone and protect them above all else.”

  Hurt flashed in Aunt Cindra’s eyes, replaced with fire. “I wouldn’t understand? How can you say that to me?” Her words shook with emotion. “I risked everything to protect you and that human. I promise you, it wasn’t for my own benefit.”

  Guilt poured from Mom. Aunt Cindra had hit a sore spot. They fell quiet, their emotions clashing in the air. I averted my eyes and tried to think of something that would lighten the situation. The awkward silence that followed made me nervous. If we were going to capture the Raj’ani, we needed to all be on the same page. Yet, we couldn’t even agree on a plan.

  I shook my head. Is that what family was? A bundle of conflicting emotions and personalities that were thrown together to endure obstacle after obstacle? When I’d wished for a family, I had no idea I’d end up with one with so much drama. They’d had years and years to get over it, but maybe that was the downfall of their immortality. Instead of getting past their hurts and offenses, they had more time to cling to them.

  “Do you hear that?” Mom’s voice startled me.

  I glanced to where she was pointing and strained to hear what she’d heard. Aunt Cindra scanned the trees, her fingers curling, ready to summon her magic. I moved closer to her still trying to see what they were talking about.

  Branches snapped. The sound of wings beating grew louder and closer. My heart leapt into my throat. The Raj’ani? Chills crawled over my skin. I forced down a wave of panic.

  We couldn’t let it get away.

  19

  Hello, halfling! A cheerful, familiar voice entered my mind.

  My eyes bulged as a large, dark green dragon flew into view. Fearless. I gaped at him as he came toward us.

  “A dragon?” Aunt Cindra was just as confused as I was.

  “It’s… Fearless. But how did he get here?” I shook my head in disbelief.

  I followed you through the portal. This world is strange. It pleases me.

  Mom and Aunt Cindra exchanged worried glances. I was still too busy reeling with shock to respond. My mind raced at the implications. How had we all missed the dragon right behind us? Did the GRIMMS know he had come? What if people had seen Fearless? A dragon in Colorado would definitely draw attention—the last thing we needed.

  You are displeased to see me? His words were edged with hurt.

  “No. I… I’m glad to see you… I’m just surprised.”

  Fearless stretched out his wings and peered down at us.

  “You shouldn’t be here.” Mom spoke.

  She bit her lip. “The GRIMMS will find you. You’ll be imprisoned. Dragons are not welcome in this world.”

  I flinched at her words. The idea of Fearless being captured made my chest tighten. We couldn’t let that happen to him. Guilt flooded me. Though I knew it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t help but feel responsible.

  “You must return to Feylin at once,” Aunt Cindra commanded.

  Fire blasted from Fearless’s mouth. His yellow eyes narrowed. I couldn’t hear his thoughts, but I could tell he was none too happy about the order.

  “Please, Fearless. It’s dangerous for you here. You have to be careful.”

  He blinked at me. But I don’t have anywhere else to go. Feylin is dying.

  My chest tightened. Did that mean we’d failed? Had the abyss taken over after we left? Dread coiled within me.

  “We’re here to save Feylin. Once we capture the Raj’ani, we’ll return and stop the destruction,” Aunt Cindra assured.

  The dragon looked at her and back to me. Then I will help you capture the creature. Raj’ani are tricky creatures.

  I nodded in agreement. I’d learned that in my first encounter.

  “We must work fast before the GRIMMs come to investigate.” Worry echoed in Mom’s voice.

  “Yes. Have you seen the Raj’ani?” Aunt Cindra turned her attention back to Fearless.

  He hovered above us, careful not to wedge himself between the trees. No, but I know where it is.

  Excitement burst inside me. Maybe with the dragon’s help, we would be able to detain the creature and find a way back. Things were finally starting to look hopeful.

  “Can you show us?” I pleaded.

  Pride radiated from the dragon. Of course. This way.

  He turned himself around and took off at an alarming speed. Mom, Aunt Cindra, and I raced after him. Adrenaline pumped through me as my boots pounded on the ground. Heat spread across my skin, my muscles tightening as we ran.

  My mind raced, trying to come up with a solid plan. Once it saw us, I expected the Raj’ani would try to get away, and I wasn’t sure how we could force it to return to the cabin with us. Then there was the problem of finding a portal without having to let the GRIMMS know exactly what we were up to.

  The forest thinned as we followed Fearless deeper and deeper in. Eyes popped out from bushes and behind trees to watch us. Some of them animals, some fae, and other creatures I’d never seen before. They watched us with curiosity, their thoughts a jumbled mess. Using my magic, I rebuilt my walls to keep them out and clear my mind of everything except the connection I still shared with the Raj’ani.
The image of the cave replayed in my mind.

  For a creature that had been imprisoned for so long, I was surprised it had sought out another cage. Maybe it had grown so used to the dark that it had become a comfort. Memories of its own world flashed before me, making my skin crawl. A part of me was curious to know what had happened to it. Had the Raj’ani destroyed it themselves?

  “You must ready yourself for a fight. The Raj’ani will not return willingly,” Aunt Cindra interrupted my musings.

  Mom nodded. “I will use my magic to control it.”

  Aunt Cindra pursed her lips. “Your magic will not be enough.”

  Anger pulsed around Mom. She was still stubbornly hoping that I wouldn’t be needed, though we all knew she needed me. I was the one with the connection and enough strength to attempt what we needed to do.

  “I’ll be okay, Mom. We can do this. Together,” I tried to sway her.

  Her shoulders visibly tensed. “It’s not safe.”

  I sighed. “We don’t have another choice, Mom. We have to do this.”

  She fell quiet, refusing to look at me. Her pain radiated from her and I knew it was because she couldn’t bear the thought of me in danger. She felt as though she’d failed me.

  “You two will command it to return with us. We will go back to the cabin and hide the dragon and Raj’ani while we figure out a way to get back to Feylin,” Aunt Cindra spoke up.

  Mom bit her lip. “How are we supposed to hide them both? You don’t understand. The GRIMMS have a way to track magic and powerful beings. Unless you have Maloret’s power to do a cloaking spell, we’ll be painting a target for them.”

  Aunt Cindra met her eyes. “The queen can do it.”

  Mom scoffed. “We don’t even know where she is.”

  “But she will return,” Aunt Cindra insisted.

  “Alright. Can we save this fight for later?” I interrupted.

  They glanced at me and snapped their mouths shut. I looked up at Fearless’s red underbelly and scanned the forest. We were deep into wilderness now, but what if someone spotted the flying dragon from the road? I shook off the negative thoughts. Hopefully they’d mistake it for a small plane. Even as I thought it, I knew the idea was ridiculous. There is no way anyone would think the red and green scaly dragon was an airplane.

  “How much farther, Fearless?” I called to him.

  Just a little farther.

  I groaned and tried to ignore the pain shooting through my legs. I was ready to be done with the whole ordeal. The thought of showing up and trying to overpower the Raj’ani made me want to sink into the ground and refuse to move. Weariness spread through me no matter how much magic I summoned to strengthen myself. What I needed was more sleep and lots of caffeine.

  “I’m going to have to rest soon,” I muttered.

  Mom glanced at me, worry etched in her wrinkled brow. Aunt Cindra’s lip pursed. Though she didn’t voice it, I could sense her reluctance. None of us wanted to waste any more time than we already had. The sooner it was done, the sooner we’d be able to get home.

  “Do you want to take a break?” Mom asked.

  Aunt Cindra frowned. “We don’t have time for that right now.” She glanced at me. “Just a little bit farther, Renée. You can make it.”

  I groaned again and nodded to her. Mom slowed her pace to match mine, her concern shining through her eyes. My cheeks reddened. I hated feeling so weak, so… human compared to them. Besides, I needed to conserve at least some energy for when we found the Raj’ani.

  A chill set in around us, making me shiver. Leaves rustled as a slight breeze picked up. At first, I tensed, expecting to see the queen pop out. When that didn’t happen, I relaxed and pushed myself to match the other’s steps. Irritation flared inside me. The elves were lucky they never got winded or tired so easily. Steeling myself, I shoved away the pain.

  I refused to be the weakest one.

  There. Up there. Shall I see if the Raj’ani remains asleep?

  I started at the dragon’s words. I’d been so busy concentrating on pushing myself forward, that I hadn’t realized how close we were now.

  Dread built inside me as the mountains stretched before us. There, nestled high into the rock face was the cave I’d seen. It looked much smaller than in my vision, but I was certain that was the one I’d seen.

  The Raj’ani was nowhere to be found. Out hunting? I shuddered. Hopefully it went after the local wildlife and not after any fae or humans. Though the idea of it devouring the innocent animals made me cringe.

  I scanned the skies, hoping to spy something. Had it left? My stomach churned. Hopefully it hadn’t gotten anywhere near the roads or towns. From afar, it would be easily mistaken for a bird, but if anyone got a closer look… its whereabouts would be found out and the last thing we needed was for the GRIMMS to come out and investigate.

  It’s gone. Fearless turned around and circled above us. The cave is empty.

  My heart sank. We’d come all that way for nothing.

  Aunt Cindra huffed. “Then we wait for its return. We must get that creature.”

  Mom shook her head. “We can’t wait here all night.”

  “Why not? It’s not like you’ve never slept in the woods.” Aunt Cindra scoffed.

  “It will get too cold for Renée.”

  I flushed at her concern, though I was secretly thankful. The last thing I wanted to do was stay up all night in the freezing woods at night.

  Aunt Cindra rubbed a hand on her forehead. “We cannot waste so much time, Aubri.”

  I can keep you warm, halfling.

  Proving his point, Fearless sent a blast of fire into the air.

  Aunt Cindra’s eyebrows rose. “See? The dragon can keep her warm.” She smiled at Mom.

  Mom’s nose scrunched up. “And exactly how would that work, Cindra?”

  She shrugged. “It could let her sleep under its wing.”

  Fearless stretched, his tail twitching back and forth. I will go and look for the Raj’ani and then I shall return.

  I glanced up at the darkening sky and shivered. “I don’t know… won’t it try to hurt you?”

  Fearless snorted. I won’t get too close.

  “We can’t wait all night. I say we go back and have the queen cloak the dragon. We can all return here tomorrow,” Mom argued.

  Aunt Cindra scowled. “And miss our chance to capture the creature?”

  “If you want her to do this, put herself at risk, she has to be well prepared to do it,” Mom snapped at her.

  Anger lit around Aunt Cindra.

  I stepped between them and raised my hands. “Let’s just all cool down, okay? I can’t feel the Raj’ani right now, but I know our connection is still there. It’s still strong and I can search again. I think it would be better to wait until we have everyone ready. Des and his friend… and the queen.”

  Mom and Aunt Cindra gaped at me. Their lack of confidence in me was irritating. I arched my brow, daring them to start another argument.

  “Agreed? Good. Let’s go home.” I started walking back without waiting for an answer.

  I glanced up. “And Fearless, you are coming with us.”

  The dragon flew back into sight. Yes. You will need my excellent tracking skills, halfling.

  Smiling, I made my way back the way we had come. Mom and Aunt Cindra trailed behind me. I could still sense Aunt Cindra’s reluctance and hesitance, but I knew this was the better decision. We couldn’t just jump in without a concrete plan. If we failed and the creature got away, we wouldn’t get another chance.

  I shivered as the coolness set in. Another day wasted, but we didn’t have another choice. We had to this right.

  When we returned to the cabin, a large silver minivan was parked beside Mom’s car. Des’s friend? Curiosity filled me as we walked past it and into the cabin. The sun had set, and my feet were aching to get out of my boots for rest. My stomach rumbled in protest as well, ready for a hot meal.

  “You’ll have to wait
out here, Fearless.”

  I glanced around nervously at the woods. Would the little dragon be okay outside on its own?

  Of course. Nature is a dragon’s natural habitat, halfling.

  I flushed. “Right. Well, do you need anything?” I scratched my face, feeling silly for asking.

  I will be fine. Thank you.

  “Stay close to the cabin, Fearless,” Mom ordered as the dragon glided toward the bird sanctuary.

  He didn’t respond but didn’t look like he was leaving any time soon.

  Mom led the way inside while Aunt Cindra brought up the rear. All eyes turned to us as we entered. Sacha, Mag, and Des stood around in the small living room along with a stranger.

  A beautiful elf.

  She was tall and curvy with a mass of blonde curls. Cheerfulness bubbled from her.

  “Hi.” She smiled. “I’m Gena. Genevieve, but you can call me Gena.”

  Her blue eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. I liked her right away. Mom returned her greeting, and I followed with a smile of my own.

  Aunt Cindra did not smile. No, instead she looked downright hostile. The frosty reception from my aunt didn’t seem to faze Gena in the slightest. Instead, she looked genuinely pleased to meet her.

  “You must be Cindra! Sorry, Princess Cindra,” she practically gushed.

  Mom and I exchanged nervous glances. Aunt Cindra remained unmoved by the flattery and instead lifted her chin in superiority.

  Gena laughed. “Wow, Des. You were so right. She’s so regal and arrogant.”

  Des’s eyes widened.

  Fury flashed on Aunt Cindra’s face. “I beg your pardon?”

  Gena waved a hand in dismissal. “No offense. Des has told me so many stories about you. I feel like I already know you.”

  My mouth dropped open. Aunt Cindra’s eyes slid to Des. I wasn’t sure what upset her more, Des sharing her history with a stranger or the elf’s familiarity.

  She sniffed. “Well, he’s told me absolutely nothing about you. I didn’t even know you existed.”

  My cheeks flamed in embarrassment for her attempt at insulting the poor elf. Mom frowned at Aunt Cindra and mouthed something I couldn’t make out.